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The Agony of a Stuck Lid, and the Victory of Getting it Off

4/6/2015

15 Comments

 
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Lidded jars are one of my favorite items to work on, from sugar bowls to French butter dishes and garlic jars. I've even made a couple of urns for some beloved pets.  Honey pots have been on my to do list for quite a while, but I hadn't really made time for myself to work on new shapes and imagery until recently.

It was so nice to allow myself a couple of hours here and there during my studio time to just explore and experiment. I was pretty thrilled with the results of these honey pots and dippers, and so excited to open the kiln after the final glaze firing to see how they turned out. A kiln opening with new work is pretty exhilarating...that is until one of your new pieces had a stuck lid.

Just for a little background info, I prefer to fire my lids with the main pot. It seems to create a better fit, less lid warping, and just fits into the kiln better. I brush wax resist on the lid and the gallery of where the lid sits. For the lidded areas that are waxed, I use a separate container of wax that has some alumina hydrate mixed in because the alumina hydrate helps the lid release after the firing. This last firing, I used a new wax resist from the Clay Art Center, called Reed's Wax. It has a smooth finish, and resists the extra glaze beautifully which made for less clean up of the pots before loading them into the kiln. I must not have added enough alumina though because when I unloaded the kiln, the blue honey pot lid was stuck on tight. I am usually pretty careful to wipe the excess glaze off between the lid and the pot but was really hoping I hadn't missed this one.

Normally, I am not so attached to the pots that come out the kiln and because of the alumina trick it's pretty rare that there is a stuck lid. But I was pretty excited about these honey pots, especially the blue one. Lightly tapping the lid with a rubber mallet or wooden handle didn't work. Trying to pry off the lid with a fettling knife (which I would not recommend, BTW) didn't work. I finally Googled "stuck pottery lid" and came across a ClayArt archive with a few suggestions. So, I spritzed some water on the pot where the lid meets the main body and stuck it in the freezer, per the instructions, and waited for about 4 hours. After the pot had been in the freezer for a while, I took it out, dunked the bottom half of the pot (up to just below the rim where the lid rests) in somewhat warm water. Then tapped the lid again with the wooden handle, and the lid popped right off! I was skeptical, even though it makes sense that the thermal expansion between the hot and cold would help relieve any pressure.

So, a few tricks to keep lids from sticking:

Add a bit of alumina hydrate to your wax resist for lidded areas. Keep it in a separate container because if you accidentally wax the bottom of a pot with this mixture nothing bad will happen but it creates a gritty mess. I have also added a bit of food coloring to this mixture as a visual reminder that this is the alumina hydrate wax.

If is is still stuck, try spritzing a bit of water between the lid and the pot, then freeze for a couple of hours. Pull out of the freezer, dunk the bottom part of pot (not the lidded part) in warm water. Lightly tap with a wooden handle. The lid should hopefully pop off. The Clayart thread suggested trying this a few times if it doesn't work the first time.

Another trick that was suggested is to pour boiling water over the stuck area. I was saving that as a last resort and was happy to not have to try it.

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15 Comments
Joy Smith
1/23/2018 07:45:04 pm

How lovely! Love your idea for the dipper and it also blocks the hole in the pot and keeps drips on the underside of the lid! I was looking up about firing pieces together in the kiln. Thanks for a great article!

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Faye Pfister link
2/19/2018 07:24:19 pm

Sarah thank you so much for your info on how to get a fitted lid unstuck .....the freezing , warm water, and the tapping did the trick🤗


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Sarah Bak
2/21/2018 01:29:14 pm

Thank you so much Joy!

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Sarah Bak link
2/21/2018 01:28:17 pm

Woohoo! I'm so glad that it worked for you, too. It's so disappointing when a lid is stuck, and I was so happy to find that this trick worked:)

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Eileen Stevenso
4/7/2018 06:04:57 am

Wow I didn't expect that to work! removing stuck lid,and I mean stuck on first attempt too, Really impressed.

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Brittany
7/14/2019 10:50:28 am

I have a question I was not paying attention to the pot I purchased like a blonde that I am..., But it's a ceramic bonasi pot and the tray/ saucer is attached only at the feet which looks like a glaze drip. do you think this method would work? Or do you happen to have any tips at possibly removing the tray?

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Laura link
7/27/2020 04:25:28 pm

Thank you so much! this really saved an important project piece for me and worked like a charm!

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Ivy Peck link
12/9/2020 12:37:48 am

This was aa lovely blog post

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Laurie Eisenhardt link
12/20/2020 03:39:03 pm

I am absolutely ecstatically grateful to your post! I had a special order for a cremation urn and the lid was stuck. The technique you offered worked like a charm. Thank you so much for taking the time to write about stuck lids!!

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jameslehner992 link
5/23/2022 10:02:39 am

I am very grateful you've shared this awesome tips. Thanks.

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Nicholas Campos link
11/3/2022 04:40:53 am

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Kavisho link
2/22/2023 08:52:49 pm

Thank you so much Sarah, your advice saved my casserole dish..... it worked the second time round.... such joy ! Thank you for all you share so generously, i really appreciate it!

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truckexpert
5/5/2023 09:24:55 am

Great Post! If you are in search of handmade products check <a href="https://indegoafrica.org/">Indego Africa</a>.

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Mez
6/4/2023 04:21:27 am

Thank you so much -it worked. the lids of the little beach hut decorations now come off! Phew ! We want to put lights inside for my brothers wedding

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Jane
1/5/2024 07:26:58 pm

Thank you, it worked!

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    Sarah Bak is a potter, mother, wife, trying to do it all with a bit of grace.

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